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The story of Gunjan Saxena became widely known after the release of her biography in a film. Here is everything about her.
Gunjan Saxena was born in 1972 in Bihar. Her family moved to Lucknow when she was a child, so she attended Kendriya Vidyalaya (a government school). Gunjan moved to Delhi to study electronics engineering at Indraprastha University. She loved the city and decided to stay here for good. In her spare time, she worked as an air hostess for a few years before pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot in the air force.
In 1994, the Indian Air Force called for women candidates to apply for the position of flying officer. Gunjan Saxena was selected from over 1,000 applicants and became the first female officer in her class. Gunjan passed out from IAF in 1994 with flying wings on both sides and was commissioned into the 'Flying Liner' corps of the IAF as a navigator-pilot officer after completing basic training at the College of Air Warfare (COAW) located at Pune Air Force Station (now known as Hindon Airbase). Gunjan Saxena became one of the first female pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) on June 27 1994. She had a very supportive family and was able to fly solo at age 16.
She flew helicopters from Chandigarh on her first solo flight and has been flying since then. She is also one of the few women who have flown Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.
She flew with her team of pilots to Srinagar, Kashmir, in 1996 as part of Operation Rakshak, which aimed at quelling violence there. In 1999, she was transferred back to Chandigarh and then again to Adampur in Punjab, where she stayed until 2002.
While at Adampur, she was chosen by the Ministry of Defence to be part of a three-member team that would be deployed as UN peacekeepers in Congo as part of Operation Shikar. The mission involved building schools, hospitals and other infrastructure in war-torn areas. In 2002, she was sent abroad for training on how to fly fighter jets or supersonic aircraft. Gunjan was also part of a four-member team deployed to help restore power after an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010.
Gunjan Saxena, an Indian Air Force pilot, has made a name for herself as one of the first female pilots to fly combat missions. She is an inspiration for everyone who wants to aim for the sky. She has done many things that women were not allowed to do in the past. She's also a role model for all young girls out there who want to do something significant with their lives. You can be a pilot in the armed forces if you are willing to work hard and prove yourself through your skills. Take the career guidance at Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation. Variousfree online courses related to aviation and mock testsfor aviation exams are available as well.